St. Gallen, Switzerland (location of a settlement)

Thank you to Anton for sending this postcard from beautiful St. Gallen in Switzerland. The town is situated in a valley between Lake Constance and the Swiss Alps. The settlement is said to have begun when Saint Gallus chose the site for his hermitage in the early 7th century. By the 10th century a settlement had formed around the Abbey of St. Gall (C8th), even though the buildings on the valley floor have to be supported by piles due to the unstable ground.